Gun Review: Taurus Judge

It’s a revolver that’s also a shotgun. It can shoot .410 shotshells or .45 Colt cartridges and does so with outstanding accuracy. Do you need it? You be the judge. (I just couldn’t resist.)

The Taurus Judge is an interesting gun that’s getting lots of attention as both a self-defense arm and an interesting kit gun to carry along on a hunt, hike or camping trip.

It is supremely versatile in that it can serve to provide camp meat and stop predators of either the two-legged or four-legged variety. I mean, you can shoot birdshot at rabbits, squirrels and, depending on your location and the law, birds.

You could also shoot buckshot, shotgun slugs or some nice Silver Tip personal defense rounds.

On the range, I found the judge to be very controllable and the accuracy with Winchester’s .45 Colt Silver Tips was outstanding from 15 yards. With bird shot, all I had on hand for the test was #9 shot. That’s too small for self-defense, but gave a nice pattern at 15 yards.

The Judge can be a lot of different things and that makes it worth looking at. And it’s just plain fun to shoot. Do you need another reason to get your hands on one?